2020-11-27

The Michigan Disease Surveillance System (MDSS) has been having issues with system stability since the beginning of November, according to a letter sent by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services to local health departments.

Marcus Cheatham, the health officer for the Mid-Michigan District Health Department, voiced his frustration during Wednesday’s Board of Health meeting regarding the MDSS, which is supposed to track statewide disease data — a crucial component of the state’s epidemiology response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Three new vaccines and a new antibody treatment are hopefully just weeks away from becoming available to health care workers.

Dr. Jennifer Morse, the medical director of the Mid-Michigan District Health Department, gave an update on the progress during Wednesday’s Board of Health meeting.

As schools have weighed the option throughout the fall of returning to in-person learning or going the route of a virtual classroom, for many, the decision has been made for them.

That decision was mandated by the “Pause to Save Lives” epidemic order issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month, which requires all high schools and colleges to commit to a virtual learning format through Dec. 8 due to increasing COVID-19 cases.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic last spring, with stay-at-home orders resulting in closed businesses and thousands of residents claiming unemployment, instability — from finances to food security — ran rampant.

As a result, United Way Montcalm-Ionia Counties launched a COVID-19 crisis fund to ensure resources were available to those in need of assistance, be it food, childcare or other essential services.